Wednesday, February 29, 2012

In light of the news that Israel would "not warn" the U.S. prior to a pre-emptive attack on Iran, Sullivan fumes:

"I don't think you can understand the Republican strategy for this election without factoring in a key GOP player, Benjamin Netanyahu.

He already has core members of the US Congress siding openly with him against the US president and the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman - like McCain, Lieberman and Butters. Netanyahu's war would be designed to rile up not only his own neo-fascist base, but also encourage American evangelical voters to turn out against Obama, the "anti-Christ", while other Greater Israel fanatics, like Sheldon Adelson, keep bankrolling as many Greater Israel GOP nominees as they can. A global war which polarizes America and the world is exactly what Netanyahu wants. And it is exactly what the GOP needs to cut through Obama's foreign policy advantage in this election. Because it is only through war, crisis and polarization that extremists can mobilize the emotions that keep them in power. They need war to win."EMPHASIS MINE

I don't think Sullivan is being hyperbolic in any way. He's also correct when he argues earlier in this piece that a unilateral surprise attack would endanger our troops and serve as the best recruiting tool for Jihad in years.